Both locals as well as foreigners increasingly and wrongly use the term North East when they mean the Northern and the Eastern Provinces. This large and varied area cannot be described in a single geographical term.

The North East of Sri Lanka is the area which extends from about Valachchanai to Point Pedro and includes the adjacent inland sectors. The North East is centered around Trincomalee and Mullaitivu.

When the World Bank representative says that the North East was the worst affected by Tsunami he mainly means the South East, the Ampara District and Batticaloa.